Jay, great observation! I'm thinking of ordering a SuperPro and Firebox for my father. He loves great Q, but at 72, doesn't have much patience and stamina. If he'd like one and is willing to do what it takes to enjoy this grill, I know he'll enjoy it. I'll get one for him and my father-in-law to enjoy in advance of the holidays.

Jayfal,
Your observations are right on. I live in Georgia, and it gets pretty hot around here. When I picked up my grill, the gunk was already melting. I think a little sun would do the job. I had my grill in the sun last weekend, and the temp gauge was pointing to 220° before adding any coals to it.

Yup, I just assembled my CharGriller and followed most of the instructions here with exception of the following. Assembled legs and bottom of main unit; then added SFB, much easier too assemble then and knockouts and drilling were a breeze. Started initial fire in SFB only and got to 200F and left it there. Gunk wiped out entirely in two hours. Looks like low temp is the trick to getting gunk out. Finished seasoning. Took about 3 hours to assemble by myself with occasional help from wife. Seasoned last night for four hours per instructions here. Doing pork shoulder now....

Bob, pork shoulder was super; Wife very impressed and took a load to visit and lunch with her mother today. I have a Weber kettle and (had, just gave to my son) a Brinkman smoker.
I really like the CG better than anything I've used for smokin' before including a Brinkman SnP, the aforementioned Brinkman Smoke and Grill or the Weber. Wife has a turkey in freezer for next weekend smokin'

Thanks for the welcome.

BeerBrat

Wed Jun 29, 2005 4:22 pm

Guest

According to the Char-Griller company representative I emailed, you do not need to remove the gunky coating before seasoning. Just apply oil over it and use the curing instructions in the owner's manuel :Qman From Iowa

Hey gang. I would really like to finally season up my chargriller this weekend (preferably Sat. so I can grill on Sun.).

I don't have any pecan or as was suggested hickory for seasoning the grill. I do have a bit of random branches (some good size ala Rita) from my trees (I have no idea what they are). Can you season with any type of wood or are some too toxic?

If it is not recommended, then does anyone know of a free or cheap place in Houston, TX to get pecan and/or hickory wood?

Also, I had planned on seasoning it as per BBcue-Z's method but I saw that someone posted that the users manual has a method. Anyone try this?

I wouldn't recommend using scrap wood in the smoker. First make sure you can identify it. Some woods can be toxic and other just taste horrible. Queue you are in the middle of BBQ Heaven there in Houston! Lots of pit manufacturers and BBQ teams galore. Why don't you give a holler to Gator Pits or Texas BBQ Rub or Klose Pits, I'll bet one of them could point you in the right direction pretty quick.

I wouldn't recommend using scrap wood in the smoker. First make sure you can identify it. Some woods can be toxic and other just taste horrible. Queue you are in the middle of BBQ Heaven there in Houston! Lots of pit manufacturers and BBQ teams galore. Why don't you give a holler to Gator Pits or Texas BBQ Rub or Klose Pits, I'll bet one of them could point you in the right direction pretty quick.

I would stick with the conventional cooking woods for best results.

Thank you for the info, Bob-BQN. I'm writing those down. Can you please give me en estimate on a good price?

I called a place (chain restaraunt) and asked if they sold it and they offered me 50 lbs. of mesquite for $7.50 and another location for $10 or $11 according to him. Is that about right?

That sounds like a good price for a small amount of wood. I've heard folks talk about buying a cord of pecan or oak for around $125-$150.

Ok thanks. I've locked one 50 pound bag at one place for the weekend and am going to swing by the other this weekend as well. That will be about $20 (including a bit of gas) for 100 pounds of mesquite.

I saw 50 lbs. for $50 online. Paying $150 for pecan seems crazy - at least around the southern parts where pecan seems to grow on trees....hey wait.

Queue, if you don't have any wood handy, you can go ahead and season your CG without it. At this point, the main thing is to get the paint cured on the outside and start the process of getting the inside thoroughly seasoned. The second part happens over the course of several cooks. So, the initial seasoning is really just the first step. It takes a while to get that nice black interior. Thus, if you don't have any wood handy, you'll still be OK. The wood you use during the first half dozen or so cooks will do what you want it to do in terms of seasoning your CG.

You can usually get hickory (at least around here) at WalMart, Lowes, Home Depot, Target, Ace Hwd, and most of the larger grocery store chain stores. A small bag of chunk will get you started. Also, using one of those sources will give you time to look around for the best bargain for larger quantities and/or other varieties of wood that you may want to use.

FWIW, I haven't done any pure wood cooking either. All of mine is charcoal based with some wood chunks for flavor. May I suggest that for your first few cooks that you use that method. Charcoal is more predictable, thus, when using it, you'll learn how the CG performs under more controlled circumstances. Once you have a handle on that, then, experiment with all wood.

If wood is already split, I use a mitre saw to get it into shorter lengths. Then a hatchet does a good job of further breaking it down to fist sized chunks. If you've never used an axe, please do be careful. (Sorry if I sound like a "mother hen"). Get yourself some type of chopping block and do watch your fingers and toes!!!!

Good luck with your first cooks. Please do let us know how everything goes. Include pix, if you can.